Humble Beginnings
by Eleneri
Summary: An expanded take on the end of the Ord Mantell mission arc for the Smuggler. Captain Mairu Umali and Corso Riggs invade the Separatist stronghold on Ord Mantell hoping to catch the conniving, ship-stealing Skavak before he escapes their grasp. Who would have thought that a suicide mission would be the beginnings of a beautiful friendship?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: All trademarked characters/places/etc. belong to Bioware's excellent Star __Wars: the Old Republic __game. No disrespect or infringement is implied or intended by this work of respectful fanfiction. Original characters are the author's; the world they run in is not_.

* * *

**Humble Beginnings**

_Ord Mantell_

_Main Separatist Stronghold_

* * *

"Belay that order, Corso!"

He hated her.

In that split second, a man's life wavering in the balance of his finger on the trigger, Corso Riggs honestly hated the captain.

He hated the sep grovelling and bleeding in front of him, and every single one of the traitorous bastards as he and the captain fought their way through the heat and danger of the sprawling separatist base to find Skavak. Finding their own personal traitor had been only one reason to go. Being able to get a passel of separatists in his sights for the first time since his parents' deaths had been his prime motivation.

The other motive had been the fact that he couldn't, in good conscience, let the captain dive into hell without inviting himself along for the ride.

'Course, if he _had_ come alone, he wouldn't be having this little problem with her conscience right now.

"Riggs. I said, belay that order." Her husky voice was a little sharper, just a little more commanding, clearly audible above the snivelling.

For a half second, Corso's finger tightened. He knew his weapons very well. Just a bit more, just a hair more pressure, and that sep's brains were vapor. He couldn't bring himself to care, not even when the man started babbling about his family on the mainland. Didn't they all have family?

Well. He didn't. Not anymore.

"Captain. I need to do this."

Above the wounded sep's weeping, Corso heard the rustle of leather and cloth as the captain moved. Then the acrid scent of blaster-discharge ozone and musky sweat wafted to him and underneath it, a faint, cool green scent, like water and sweet grass. The captain put her hand on his arm, very gently. "Would your family want you to?"

Corso set his jaw, and his blaster didn't waver an inch. "You just blew Veem Sett to kingdom come, captain. Whether or not you actually shot him or just caused the explosion that killed him don't matter. You got no standin' to keep me from givin' this miserable separatist bastard a cranial evacuation he won't soon forget."

"You're right. I don't." Her hand left his arm. "I was just wondering, Riggs, if you want to just hand over any more pieces of your soul to the separatists than they already took?"

_Damn her._

Damn, damn, damn... Corso swore silently in five languages, finishing with a truly nasty curse in Huttese. "Captain, that ain't fair."

"I know. It's a gift I have. I'm never fair when I need to win." He watched her visually follow the motion of his arm as he slowly lowered the blaster, and he could just make out her breath of relief over the separatist's quiet sobbing. She hadn't been sure of him, after all. Fair enough, since Corso himself wasn't too sure of what the hell he was doing right now. Except letting a sep traitor live because a woman with cool gold-green skin and warm, dark honey eyes was watching him, and suddenly he knew he couldn't have killed the man in cold blood. Not while she was watching. In a fair fight, sure, but not while Captain Mairu Umali watched the execution. And what was he supposed to do with that?

_ Dammit, Pa, sometimes all that chivalry you poured into me is damned inconvenient._

"That's your free one, mister. You understand me?" Corso stared down at the man crouched bleeding at his feet. "I catch you raising a blaster for the cause again, and I will make you regret it for the whole last two seconds of your life."

"You won't regret this. You won't. I promise." The sep struggled to his feet.

"One question, though." Captain Umali's crisp tone stopped the man in his tracks. "Your boss spouted sep rhetoric like a blown power conduit, but he said only one interesting thing. He said you knew we were coming." Eyes narrowed, Mairu stared at their prisoner. "How?"

"Skavak. He has a girl in Rendia Freight. Syreena. She told him you were coming here."

"You're a filthy liar!"

"Look, lady, why would I lie? It's true! I swear on my mother! Syreena's been working for Skavak this whole time that we thought he was working for us!"

"Go on, get out of here." Mairu stepped back to let the man stagger past her and glanced at her companion. "Come on, Riggs. If Syreena's a traitor..."

"Viidu's in deep trouble and doesn't know." Corso slung his rifle over one shoulder so he could move faster. "Won't be able to get a signal on these dinky little holocoms from this deep in a damn volcano. Come on, Captain. We're gonna need to hustle."

* * *

Rendia Freight was abnormally quiet. There were still a few laborers going through the motions outside the warehouse, but Mairu could see their eyes as she and Riggs hustled past. They knew something was up.

And it was obvious, the moment they burst through the door of Viidu's office, that it wasn't Viidu. Their estwhile boss was sprawled on the floor, smoke still curling from the blaster hole in his not-inconsiderable chest. Mairu suppressed the urge to check the corpse, just to make sure. She'd seen enough burn holes to know a fatality when she saw one.

Not again, dammit. Not again. When is it going to stop?

Riggs touched her shoulder with one hand, squeezed lightly. She glanced over, met his dark, solemn gaze. Not the time, he mouthed.

Later, she promised herself, firmly burying the surprising feeling of relief that the kid was finally acting like himself again. Corso Riggs was a mass of incongruities. Talked like a farm boy. More honestly polite than any Alderanian nobleman. Fought like the Firaxxan shark Viidu had once compared him to, with a complete disregard of personal safety she'd only seen in Jedi. And he had the warmest brown eyes...

_ Not the time, Mairu. Really not the time. _

She shook her head to clear it and then turned her attention to the voluptuous woman in tight green leathers standing in front of the holoterminal.

"... What are you talking about? I've done everything for you, Skavak!"

The too-familiar voice was gravelly and could be considered sexy, but all Mairu felt when she heard it was an urge to shoot something. "You did it for the money. Same as me." Even across a room, Mairu could see Skavak's holographic smirk. "The only difference is, you're not actually getting paid. See you around, sweetheart."

Mairu waited a split second for the holocall to terminate, then coughed. Loudly. "Well, wasn't that sweet. Lover's spat?"

Syreena spun around, shock blooming across her face. "Captain! Um, I didn't see you come in. It's... wonderful you're still alive."

"Yeah. Too bad I can't say the same for Viidu."

Syreena flushed, but Mairu wasn't sure if it was from embarassment or temper. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." Mairu folded her arms across her chest, aware that Corso was standing silently at her shoulder. "By the way, your friends in the sep base say hello."

"I should have known those half-wits wouldn't kill you."

"Yeah. You're just on one helluva roll with your bets lately, lady. Two-timed by your lover, murdered your boyfriend. Real good moves. But you know where you really messed up?" Crossing the room in a few long strides, Mairu got right into the other woman's face. "When you commed a nest of lousy kid-stealing, shipnapping, refugee-sniping cowards and told them to kill me!"

"Look, I made mistakes!" Syreena's brilliant green eyes filled with tears. "You think I don't feel bad about it? Especially after you helped me out when the boys in the warehouse were going to..."

"No, I _don't_ think you feel bad. But I could help you along." Mairu's fist tightened, the leather of her glove creaking slightly.

"Captain..." This time, it was Riggs who put a restraining hand on _her_ shoulder. "Ain't worth it."

Mairu hissed out a breath between her teeth. "Are you sure about that, farm boy?"

"Real sure at the moment, Captain."

"Hear that, Syreena? My friend here, Riggs, he doesn't think I should punch your pretty teeth down your pretty throat. And since Riggs was the one who went with me into a base swarming with people who very much wanted to kill us and did his level best to keep me from dying, I'm going to listen to him. You know why? It's called loyalty. He gets it." Mairu shot a sizzling glance at Syreena, then pointedly looked at Viidu's nearby corpse. "You sure don't."

This time, Syreena's color clearly rose from embarassment. "He was going to turn me in to Rogun the Butcher! What was I supposed to do, put a bow on my head and wait in the spaceport for his bounty hunters to show up?" Tears filled those amazingly green eyes, and that smoky, sultry voice lowered to an entreating whisper. "Haven't you ever done anything crazy for the love of a man?

"Nope." This time, Mairu's fist flew out and caught the human woman square on the jaw.

Corso winced, but only folded his arms across his chest as Syreena went down hard.

The captain flexed her fingers, shaking off the sting. "You okay with that, Riggs?"

"I wasn't a minute ago. But it passed. I suspect seein' Skavak put me off my chivalry." The young man shook his head. "Just 'cause I got manners don't mean it sits right with me, what she did, captain. And she did try to have us killed. Punch in the mouth ain't so permanent as a blaster to the head, which is what we'd have gotten if we'd got caught."

"That's what I like about you, Riggs. You're a thinker."

Syreena sat up slowly, wiping away the blood trickling from her cut lip with one hand. Mairu watched carefully to see that the movement wasn't disguising a try for the blaster holstered at her hip. "You mean, you're not going to kill me? But I thought... "

"Syreena, if you thought at all, you'd never have hooked up with Skavak in the first place." Dark amber eyes met green. "Now, where is that ship-stealing son of a fleabitten gundark going?"

"Coruscant. He's taking your ship - and Rogun's guns - to Coruscant. If you hurry you might catch him. Not like he knows you're coming."

Mairu felt her temper starting to boil. "Might be a little hard, getting all the way to Coruscant_ without my ship_."

Syreena scooted backward a little, as if wanting as much distance between her and the other woman as possible. "You don't need to. Not anymore. Thanks to you, the Republic is pushing back the separatists and they've reopened the spaceport. I have two shuttle passes. I'll give them to you if you let me disappear."

There was, Mairu decided, no justice in the galaxy. She clenched her fist again, then very deliberately relaxed it. "Fine. You scuttle away and make very, very sure I never see you again, and we have a deal."

Syreena fished two passes out of a belt pouch and handed them over. "They were for us. Skavak and me. Guess I should have figured he had no plans to use his." She slanted a look at the other woman. "If you catch up to him, go easy on him, Captain. It would be nice to see him again with all his parts intact."

Mairu rolled her eyes. "Man sets you up for bounty hunter bait, leaves you to rot on a war-torn planet, and you still want to roll in the bunks with him? Is the sex _that _good?"

"Let's just say that cons aren't the only thing Skavak can handle well. The man could charm the armor off a Mandalorian."

Mairu snorted. "Good thing I'm Mirialan, then. Get out before I change my mind and shoot you for putting images of a naked Skavak in my head. _Ugh_. I think I need to pour some engine cleaner in my ears just to get that thought out."

Corso stood back and watched Syreena leave. He was turning several interesting shades of red. "So." He coughed to clear his throat. "Glad that went well. I know you're gonna think I'm some dumb farm boy for sayin', but I was raised to tip my hat to ladies, not blast 'em."

Mairu propped one hand on her hip and watched him with curiosity. "But punching is okay, right?"

"Yeah. I could make an exception for that, so long as it's not me doin' it." Corso grinned. "How's the hand?"

She wiggled her fingers experimentally. Nothing seemed broken. "Better than her jaw. And definitely better than poor old Viidu."

"Yeah. Viidu deserves some justice. Which is why I'm gonna make sure people - the right people - know what she did to him. Nobody'll ever get conned by Syreena again."

"Why, Corso Riggs. I do believe that was a devious and unchivalrous statement." Mairu wiped away an imaginary tear. "I'm so proud."

This time, his blush was definitely all because of her. "Um, thanks. I think." He coughed. "Now, captain, I believe what Syreena said about bounty hunters comin', and we don't know how long Skavak is gonna stay on Coruscant, so we'd best get goin' and hop that shuttle." He glanced over his shoulder. "I'm hopin', though, that you won't mind me takin' a few minutes to treat poor old Viidu to a proper burial."

"Of course not." She blinked. "Wait a minute. You're planning on coming along?"

"I'm not bailin' on you now, Captain. Besides, there's nothin' for me on Ord Mantell any more, and Skavak still has my Torchy. She needs rescuing. You, ah... mind the company?"

"Nah. I'll even let you tip your hat to me every once in a while, just to keep your hand in." Pleased with the camaraderie, Mairu patted him on the shoulder. Force, but he was solid muscle! Warm, solid muscle. _Down, girl._ "I gotta be honest with you, Riggs, I'll try to put up with the whole chivalry thing. Not used to it, but you are, and I'll try. However... you open a door for me and you're outta here."

Corso chuckled and flashed a shy grin at her. "Man can't ask for more than that, Captain."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The landing pad at the spaceport at Fort Garnik was pitted and cratered from small arms fire and the occasional heavy ordnance strike, but the gleaming shuttle sat on the battered plasticrete like a gift.

All they'd had to do to open it was dodge a couple of bounty hunters. Captain Umali had muttered about "the last time I do anything like the Big Boom Run for an ungrateful jerk crime lord like Rogun the Butcher", but then had shouldered the battered carisac that held her share of Viidu's stashed equipment and told Riggs to hustle before any more bounty hunters showed up.

Standing in the boarding line made them both a little twitchy. "Too open here," Mairu murmured. "I don't think we'll have any more hunters on us so soon, but Rogun's apparently overly fond of his nickname. Wonder what he's compensating for?"

Corso disguised his laugh with a rough cough. "I'm keepin' an eye open, Captain. If anyone tries for us, one of us'll see it coming."

"Riggs, I like the overinflated sense of confidence you have in our abilities. I hope it doesn't blow up in your face." The Mirialan woman rolled her shoulders to ease the weight of her bag, but kept her hand near her holstered blaster. "Why do I keep thinking that getting offworld is just the beginning of our problems?"

"Because your parents didn't raise no fools?" Corso grinned down at her.

"My sisters would say otherwise, farm boy."

"Sisters? There's how many?"

"Four of us. The others are what you'd call legitimately employed."

"Bet they don't have near as much fun as you do."

Mairu smothered a laugh. "Maybe. Maybe not. You can ask them if you ever meet 'em."

They found their spaces on the crowded transport. Mairu stuffed her carisac under her seat and sat down with a slightly less than graceful thud. "Force, but it's nice to finally sit down. That boarding line took slightly less time than a straight cruise to Tatooine." She shot a quick look around the transport's interior. "Looks like we're not the only ones eager to shake this place's dust off their boots."

Corso took his seat with some difficulty, wedging his broad shoulders into the space allotted to them by a ship designer who apparently only made seats destined for anemic Senators. "Seems like sometimes the only way to deal with your memories is to leave 'em, Captain. It ain't a new thing, not here, not anywhere."

"Riggs, if you're gonna philosophize me the entire way to Carrick Station, it's gonna be a long trip."

"Sorry, Captain. Somethin' about space always puts me in a thinking mood. I suspect it's all them stars."

The captain narrowed her eyes. "Drop the hick act, farm boy. The accent is pure country, but I'm getting the very certain feeling that there's a lot more to you than meets the eye." The smile that slid across Mairu's full lips was sultry and a little speculative. "Not that what meets the eye isn't real attractive to begin with."

Corso could feel what was no doubt a flaming blush working its way up his throat and into his face. "Captain, ma'am, if you're gonna flirt with me all the way to the station, it's gonna be a long trip."

She laughed, one of those husky chuckles that sounded just so... pretty. "Sorry, Riggs. You make it so easy. I'll ease off the flirting. Kind of a habit, y'know."

"Figured that, Captain. Ma'am. That's a pretty potent weapon you're packin'."

"Riggs, I thought you didn't want me to flirt with you all the way to the station," she purred, leaning over his armrest a little. That soft scent of hers surrounded him, making him think of cool water and sun-warmed grass. "Because that sounded an awful lot like a line. Or a challenge."

Seemed like he was gonna be stuck blushing his damn fool head off for at least the next few minutes. Corso cleared his throat. "Captain, I... I got somethin' to say."

"Go ahead, farm boy." Mairu leaned back in her seat. "This promises to be good."

He took a deep breath. "Ma'am, you got more grit in one finger than all Ord Mantell's army. That ain't flattery, that's just the plain truth. Most Mantellians haven't done half what you have for the people in Drelliad, or Mannett Point, or every other village you've been into. And I realize we fought together some, but you don't know me, and Skavak wasn't the best kinda introduction to how us Mantell boys treat a lady. You gotta know, though, that I ain't gonna try and take advantage of ya in any way." His eyes met hers and held. "You're safe with me. You got my word on that."

Mairu's mouth was hanging open slightly. He wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

"Now I've gone and talked your ear half off, but I just wanted you to be, y'know, sure. About this one thing. Can't promise about anything else, though. Rogun the Butcher ain't likely to stop with just one set of bounty hunters, and we ain't caught up to Skavak yet and gotten your ship back. Like as not, we're in for a tough road."

"Riggs..." The captain cleared her throat. "I think that's the most I've ever heard you talk about a non-weapon related topic."

He grinned sheepishly and scratched his chin. "Yeah, well... Space and all. Fleeing for our lives. Affects a man, y'know?"

"You and me, back to back, blasters against the universe." Mairu chuckled, and the sound seemed to smooth along his skin. Yessir, he could get used to hearing that little laugh. "I'll do my best to keep you safe, too, Riggs."

Corso felt something in him lighten, only to crash when she added, "That's what friends do."

He hoped his smile didn't look as stiff at it felt. "Yeah. Friends."

He already knew he wanted more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It could have been exhaustion from all the running and fighting they'd been doing - Corso privately put odds on the fact that the captain was mad that she wasn't the one piloting the shuttle and had shut down from sheer boredom. Whatever the reason, though, she was finally sleeping, curled into as comfortable position as she could be in the shuttle's admittedly-unluxurious seat.

Corso was grateful for the quiet, and for the fact that most of the other passengers had had the same idea, because it meant he finally got to study the captain's face without being rude and staring. His momma would have whopped him a good one for it, but then, she would have whopped him for what he'd been doing for Viidu for the past few years, too. In the grand scheme of things, maybe staring wasn't so bad.

And he very badly wanted to stare, because the captain was, well... fascinating. Weren't many Mirialans on Ord Mantell, much less beautiful ones with eyes that were the color of ripe oranges dipped in honey. Her eyebrows winged upward above those remarkable eyes, and she had freckles, golden ones that were still visible against creamy gilded green skin that just looked so... soft. Corso wasn't sure which was more intriguing to him, her freckles or her tattoos. He knew that the tattoos meant something in Mirialan culture, and he wondered what hers meant. Maybe he'd get up the guts to ask her sometime, though that didn't guarantee she'd answer him. _After all, captain's kinda a private sort, ain't she? Says more with her actions than her mouth, and that's the truth or I'll kiss a ronto._

Corso winced, suppressing the urge to shift in his seat. Maybe thinking about kissing - any kissing - was a bad idea. _Captain wants a friend, and I promised she'd have nothin' to concern herself about from me, so I definitely ain't thinking about kissin'. _

Problem was, he'd been thinking about her tattooos, and they all drew the eye to one place.

It was completely ungentlemanly of him, but he just couldn't keep his eyes off her mouth. As precise as the graceful geometric designs tattooed on her forehead, cheekbones and chin were, her mouth was absolutely opposite. Plush and soft-looking, generously curved, the captain's lips were the dusky color of the ripe Coruscanti guava Viidu had imported once. The boss had shared some of the soft, sweet-fleshed fruit with him. Tasting it had been a revelation. Very likely, kissing the captain would be a revelation, too. Just before she hit him with a right cross to the jaw.

Just then, Mairu stirred, muttering something uncomplimentary under her breath. "Damn seats. They're like rocks with arm rests." She shifted, stretched, that soft scent of hers kissing the air - _void take it, enough with the kissing, Riggs! _- and aimed a sleepy, questioning look in his direction. "Hey, how're you holding up, farm boy?"

Corso could feel the blush - by now annoyingly familiar - starting to work its way across his cheekbones. "My back might never be the same and my butt's numb as a rock, but I'll survive, Captain."

The captain laughed out loud, clapping a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound before she woke anyone else up. "That'd be a shame, with a rear as fine as yours, Riggs. Anything I can do to help?"

Yep. Blushing. It seemed to be his default mode around this woman. "Captain, thought we'd talked about that ion-cannon charm of yours."

"Sorry, farm boy. I'm only half awake. Promise I won't strafe your defenses any more." Mairu winced, wriggling in her seat some more with a slinky motion that made Corso want to groan out loud. "We've got some hours left on this trip and I'd love to get some rest. Not gonna happen. Too bad Viidu's stash didn't include travel pillows." She yawned.

_No, no, no, you are not gonna open your mouth and offer... Just. No. This has Bad Plan stamped all over it. You're tryin' to be a gentleman, Riggs, and courtin' temptation ain't gonna make that easier._

So, of course, Corso found his lips flapping. "Well, captain, I ain't got a travel pillow, but my shoulder's yours if you want it."

The captain shot him a narrow-eyed glance. "Riggs, are you asking for a strafing run again?"

"No, ma'am." He held his hands up in surrender. "Meant what I said. You got nothin' to worry about from me. Just got a vested interest in keepin' you spry an' lively."

"How vested?"

He scratched his chin. "Well, I figure you're less likely to shoot me if I let you get some decent sleep."

She was quiet a moment, and Corso worried that he'd offended her. Although he doubted it, because she hadn't punched him. Captain was a mite direct with how she dealt with insults. "I... appreciate the offer, Riggs. Of the shoulder. If that's still okay."

He managed not to grin too widely. "Lady's choice." And then he had to grit his teeth as she settled against him. He inhaled sharply, filling himself with the scent of sweet grasses and cool water and woman and sweat. "Sorry it ain't the freshest pillow, Captain."

"Hush up, farm boy. Not like either of us got a chance to grab a shower before we had to run for our lives. If you can stand me, I can stand you."

_Captain, Hoth would have to become a beach resort before I couldn't stand you. _"Not a problem, ma'am. Best get some rest. Even after we get to Carrick, we still gotta find a ship for Coruscant."

"Another ship I won't be piloting." Mairu growled the words, but nuzzled into Corso's shoulder like a kitten. "Remind me to shoot Skavak twice for every ship I have to board as a passenger."

"Only if I get to shoot him twice for every time I have to fire a blaster that ain't Torchy." Her hair looked so soft, and it was right there, just under his chin...

"I get to go first, or you'll kill him before I even get a chance at him."

"Gonna have to disagree with ya, Captain. You go first, and he's definitely gonna die before I get my shots in."

"Whatever happened to 'ladies first'?"

"Left it in my other armor?"

This time, Mairu stifled her laughter against his shoulder. Desire dug unexpectedly sharp claws into his gut, and Corso was very, very glad he hadn't changed out of his armor before they'd run for the spaceport. It wasn't durasteel, but armor-reinforced cloth was going to do a lot more to maintain his dignity than civilian pants.

"Riggs, that's the second unchivalrous statement I've heard from you today. I swear, I'm corrupting you."

_Sweetheart, you got no idea. Or at least I hope you don't._ "Beg your pardon, Captain. You're right. How about I let you shoot Skavak first if you swear to get him in a nonvital area?"

"Fair enough." Mairu stifled a yawn. "Think I'll try and get that nap in. Just watching the stars is depressing. I feel like they're not mine."

Corso froze. _Well, now. Admittin' to a chink in your armor, Captain?_ He couldn't stop the gentle smile that curved his mouth as he looked down at her. "We'll have your ship back soon, Captain. And your stars. That's a promise."

"That's the second promise you've made me, Riggs." She had had her eyes closed, but opened them to look up at him. "You any good at keeping your promises?"

He fought the urge, the overwhelming urge, to just drop his mouth down those few paltry inches and kiss her. But this wasn't the place, or the time, and he'd given his word. "Captain, I'm the best."


End file.
